Palermo Cathedral
The world's most eclectic ecclesiastical architecture

As fascinating as the Palatine Chapel and Monreale Abbey are, Palermo's cathedral presents to the visitor a diversity and mixture of architectural styles unique in the world for a church of this strikingly vast scale: Arab, Norman, Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque. It's all here, in one grand, inspiring setting, complete with soaring medieval spires.

Origins
Palermo's cathedral is known officially as "Santa Maria Assunta" or Saint Mary of the Assumption. Some scholars believe that a temple existed here in Roman, or possibly even Punic, times. There is no doubt that the site once had a large Byzantine Greek (Orthodox) church. Arab records mention the existence of a large "infidel" temple present on this site when they conquered Palermo in 831. This was turned into the city's principal mosque. In early 1072, when the Normans wrested control of Palermo from the Saracens, Count Roger promptly saw to it that the great mosque was reconsecrated as a Christian church. It was in this earlier incarnation of the cathedral that Roger II was crowned in 1130. The present cathedral was not completed for another century, and it has been greatly modified through the ages.

One is struck by the church's size, which for its era made it one of Europe's largest places of worship. Incredibly, the actual construction (like that of Monreale Abbey), took just a few years, even though the width of the "nave" (there was initially no true transept) is exceptionally broad for a Romanesque church of this architectural type. Twelfth-century Palermo, as one of the wealthiest cities of Europe (its revenue eclipsing that of all of Plantagenet England), boasted an immense corps of highly-competent artisans and workmen. Our modern belief that medieval cathedral construction required many decades of labour is based on the intricacies of Gothic architecture. Cologne Cathedral, founded by Sicily's Frederick II, comes to mind.

The original Paleo-Christian structure, subsequently the mosque, was essentially square (rather than rectangular), and part of it extended into the large, open area next to the present structure, under which there are passages among a labyrinth of walls. This early church, of course, was built upon the ancient Punic and Roman cities, and vestiges of these also exist (underground) beneath and around the cathedral. (Some can be viewed in Piazza Vittoria nearby.) It is possible that a Roman temple once stood on this spot, though it probably would not have been as large as the Greek temple at Segesta.

In 1185, the English Archbishop of Palermo, Walter "of the Mill," (his surname "Offamilias" actually indicates he was a cousin of the Hauteville kings of Sicily) assumed responsibility for the completion of the "new" cathedral. We know not precisely when the remains of Otto of Bayeaux, brother of William the Conqueror, were interred here, but it may have been before Walter was bishop. An informal rivalry soon developed between this large church and Monreale Abbey --today preserved in something closer to its original state-- which was undertaken by the young William II for the explicit purpose of superseding the importance of Palermo's diocese and cathedral.

Architectural Evolution
The cathedral of Palermo underwent major changes in the following centuries. Subtle Catalonian Gothic touches such as the fifteenth-century portico, with its gargoyles --in the form of angels rather than grotesques-- do not seem to detract significantly from the original styles. However, modern renovations and additions, such as the large cupola constructed in 1785, severely altered its appearance. This dome, and the extensive Baroque reconstruction of the interior, completely defaced the beautiful Norman Arab arches and lines of the inside of the church and corrupted the exterior's intended effect.

Among the Baroque features is Saint Rosalie's Chapel, commemorating Palermo's patron saint, possibly a Norman maiden, who repudiated the worldly life in favour of a hermit's existence in the caves of Mount Pellegrino overlooking the city. A grand festival is celebrated in her memory in mid-July. The meridian line in the floor is also a recent addition.

The church is a massive rectangular structure, with two towers at the two front corners constructed in the Norman Arab style. The exterior of the apse is similar to those of Monreale Cathedral and the smaller Basilica of the Magione. An interesting exterior detail there is the repeating horizontal inlay motif of the lions "passant guardant" visible near the apse. This became the heraldic symbol of England, and it might be suggested that Walter added it here as an allusion to his own island. Yet, its presence in the older Palatine Chapel suggests that the symbol was used in Sicily long before it was employed by the Norman Kings of England.

In the bas-relief carvings of the wooden door at the archway under the portico can be seen deer, boar and other game once hunted in Sicily but long extinct. There are also greyhounds (or deerhounds?), lizards and mythological and religious figures

The main entrance of the cathedral is located at the southern end of the nave along Via Bonello opposite the reconstructed towers (the originals were destroyed by an earthquake) of the archdiocesan curia on the other side of the street. The two arches over the street once supported a roof. This entrance is used only on special occasions --usually when the archbishop enters the cathedral -- but the facade reflects a succession of architectural styles, from the medieval Romanesque and Gothic through the Renaissance and into the Baroque. Adjacent to the church (on its western side), at the corner of Via Bonello and Via dell'Incoronazione, is the "Loggia dell'Incoronata," much altered since its construction in the twelfth century. Most of Sicily's newly-crowned Norman, Swabian and Aragonese kings ascended this arched platform to greet their applauding subjects immediately following a coronation mass in the cathedral.

This reminds us, of course, that until the reign of Ferdinando I of the Two Sicilies (who died in 1825), most kings of Sicily (including the first, Roger II) were actually crowned in Palermo's cathedral, which is the episcopal seat of the Primate of Sicily, the Archbishop of Palermo, who is usually a cardinal. Yet some of the cathedral's most interesting features are not Roman Catholic but Muslim or Eastern Orthodox (Byzantine) in inspiration.

God is in the details
A few pieces of the Paleo-Christian (early Byzantine) and Arab structures were incorporated into the present cathedral. Several, though not large, are worthy of note. The left-most pillar supporting the Gothic portico bears an inscription from the first sura of the Koran: "God is Allah and Muhammed is His Prophet." The pillars were probably incorporated into the great mosque of Bal'harm (as the Arabs called this city) before the arrival of the Normans (1071), or at least carved by Muslim artisans during construction of the Norman church in the twelfth century. (The portico itself is a later addition.) Another interesting detail is the Byzantine icon of the Theotokos (Mother of God) in a niche above the Gothic archway beneath the portico. This, too, was probably part of the medieval Byzantine church which became the great mosque, though its origin is not certain. It seems to have been covered or removed when the church was converted to a mosque during the ninth century, then re-incorporated into the Norman church during the twelfth century. However, it may well have been created specifically for the Norman church by some of the same Greek (Orthodox) artists who designed the mosaic icons elsewhere in and around Palermo.

The geometric decorations of the apse exterior, not unlike those of Monreale Abbey, are of Islamic design, their symmetry reflecting Muslim spirituality. This is also true of some of the decoration of the long walls on east side of the building, such as the geometrical "rosettes." Another Arab detail awaits us in the clerestory (actually an apse). In a corner can be seen part of a stone muqarnas ceiling similar those of the Zisa and (in wood) the Palatine Chapel. This originally covered a larger area when it probably formed part of the mosque.

Beyond the Theotokos icon already mentioned, we know not to what extent the original walls were covered with mosaics. Certainly they were surpassed in spiritual expression and pure scope by those of Monreale, but there may have been a few icons such as the Pantocrator of Cefalù's splendid cathedral.

The long, long sleep of kings
The side chapel that is located near the portico entrance of the church is famous for its royal tombs. It is here that King Roger II is buried, along with his daughter, Constance de Hauteville, mother of Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen, who is also laid to rest here. Henry VI Hohenstaufen, Holy Roman Emperor, father of Frederick and husband of Constance, is also entombed here. Frederick II, who besides being the King of Sicily was the Emperor of the Germans, has not been forgotten by the modern-day descendants of his Teutonic subjects. Even though Frederick has been dead for more than seven centuries, don't be surprised if you see German tourists leaving flowers at the foot of the Emperor's tomb.

Other personages, including Bishop Walter himself, are interred in the crypt.

Treasury, Crypt, Clerestory
Several areas of the cathedral, often (unfortunately) overlooked by visitors in a hurry, provide a fascinating insight into Palermo's medieval past.

The Cathedral Treasury (Tesoro) is a small museum containing a collection of finely crafted religious objects. There are illuminated manuscripts here and bejeweled chalices and crucifixes, along with sophisticated gold jewelry adorned with Byzantine enamel-ware, and even a few metal icons. Not every item is always on display, but one usually is --the treasury's most famous object, the Crown of Constance of Aragon, wife of Frederick II. Don't expect a jewelled coronet. This is a much more intricate masterpiece of twelfth century metalwork combining Byzantine, Arabic and Western elements. Fragments of royal robes are also displayed, as well as episcopal vestments.

The Crypt, as we've mentioned, houses the remains of Archbishop Walter, who in the twelfth century ordered construction of this cathedral, overlaying the earlier church and mosque. Saint Nicodemus, Orthodox bishop of Palermo in 1071, is also buried here. There is also an altar, and a Roman sarcophagus from ancient Panormus. Unlike many other parts of the cathedral, the crypt retains its original form, with stark, heavy Romanesque arches and stonework. The crypt open to visitors is not actually the deepest area of the cathedral complex; there are tunnels and ancient ruins far beneath the church and under the large cathedral square. Nor is it the largest grave site nearby; a simple monument in the centre of Piazza Sett'Angeli, the open square behind the apse, commemorates the deaths of some two hundred people during an Allied bombing raid which in 1943 destroyed a building there, where the nameless dead are buried. The cathedral itself was virtually untouched.

The term "clerestory" may be a misnomer, but that is how Palermitans refer to the interior apse chamber from which one descends into the cathedral's crypt. This chamber boasts a beautiful Romanesque-Gothic archway not unlike those leading into the cathedral from the portico and from Via Bonello. These ornate arches are thirteenth-century additions typical of their era. Though they were popularised in the Gothic churches of western Europe (of which there are very few pure examples in Sicily), they are, in fact, an element adopted from the earlier Romanesque style which predominated until the thirteenth century. During a restoration of the clerestory were revealed the muqarnas already described --probably created in the ninth or tenth century for the great mosque. Here are also visible what appear to be small segments of the supporting walls of the earlier church and mosque.

The austere west walls on the "other" side of the cathedral (along Via dell'Incoronazione), though less detailed, include a few Arab-style windows and other medieval features along with Neoclassical columns at the side entrance. At the corner of this street and Via Bonello is the "Loggia" already mentioned. What was once the beautiful Norman-Arab west wall was destroyed at the time of the Baroque modifications.

Some of the stone blocks used in the cathedral's twelfth-century construction were taken from the prior structure, particularly certain of the very large pieces which form the base of the lateral walls.

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